Guestbook

Well done at the malvern spring show, it shows what can be done with gardens and trains

Amazed and delighted to see "George" on Gardener's World recently and now to have had a swift look at the DLRT website. Brought back many happy memories of helping on the Railway in the 1980s with James Boyd and Jeff when l did a brief spell of emergency matroning and was a staff wife for several years. So pleased to read that it is still going strong! Liz Douglas (1982 - 1989)

As a pupil at the Downs in thea late 80s I remember te railway as a real source of pride. many afternoons where spent working on it. Whilst it would be fair to say that I was a less than willing labourer, the railway was a great introduction to the realiries of life (a lot of back breaking effort was required in order to sustain the few times in which we could drive the trains). In addition it was a pleasure and a privilege to work alongside the great James Boyd (where his initials really JCB?) I remember the acftermath of the '87 storms whe a falling tree crushed the new workshed. Old Boyd had us in there rescuing equipment and pulling off branches and generally getting stuck in, in a way that I suspect would be an anathema to today's Health and Safety driven world. A fantastic resource and a wonderful experience. Long may it continue!

I was at the Downs and was a DLR hobbyist. George was the main locomotive at that time, while Tubby was I think 'away for repairs' . . . (Was there also another engine there which was never fired?) I recall 'assisting' with the annual boiler test on George. There were I think three of us privileged to drive George at one 'Commem' (1959 maybe?). In those days it ran to the White House terminus where we had, that year, installed a spring loaded return on the points for unassisted change over. The springs were supplied by Terry's Spring Co. (of Anglepoise fame ? the son of the owner was at the Downs at that time.) There were two 'carriage sheds'. One shed had the electric train layout set up in it which we used when weather was too poor to work on the track. (Not often was it too poor!) The other (not often opened) had a number of very nice small scale steam engines (not locomotives). I wonder if they are still around. Mr. Hitchings (school maintenance) killed a very active wasp's nest very close to the turntable at Windermere using cyanide! He explained you obtained this from the Chemist. I guess times have changed some. I have lived in the USA for much of my life . . . I will come visit when I retire!

Wow, this is great to see a railway that children can take part in! Down in Cornwall, I'm limited to only building my 16mm garden railway! www.freewebs.com/mhlr

It's really good to see the DLR still running, I loved working on the railway in the early 90's and its even more impressive to see that george the 'boys hall' ornament has returned to service! I have not visited the school in over 10 years, but I shall deffinately make a trip on one of the open days so I can see it all in action.

Well done and keep up the good work. Hopefully your work will last another 80 years! Well Done!

I remember the railway when I was a pupil - in the mid-30's - as one of the joys of schooldays. Now in retirement in my 80th year in the U.S. it is a time when one can look back with a measure of nostalgia.

I went to the downs when I was young and always dreamt of driving the trains. Unfortunately I left at six and never got a chance, but I loved the railway

The DLR Engineering hobby was one of the reasons I became an engineer

I think the world of this initiative.

Maybe, you will get some pupils interested in a career as a machinist (or related jobs), and that is just what the industry needs.

The UK and Flanders, have been very similar in their industry in the past. So the trouble we are in is also similar. Here it is almost impossible to find young lads, with formal training that are willing to "make a go of it" and embark on a career, that bring job satisfaction, creativity as well as desent pay.

Your way of doing things might help some of these kids along.

My father was at The Downs in the 1930s and always talked about the marvelous minature railway.

For a little boy who had come to the school from Hitler's Germany the railway must have provided a respite from the cares of a troubled time.